The Guinness World Records 2015 book edition - celebrating 60 years as the global authority on record-breaking - is certainly a place for the biggest afro or the longest tongue.
But it's also home to a number of groups who harnessed the power of record-breaking to spread a message, raise awareness, or highlight a service or product.
Here are a selection of some of the amazing brands and organizations who, thanks to their successful Guinness World Records events, have found a permament place of recognition in this year's version of the world's best-selling copyrighted book of all time. Make sure to click on each record title to find out the full story behind each event.
Fancy a potential spot for your group in the next edition of the Guinness World Records book? Contact our client services team to discuss the best options for your event.
LARGEST DIGITAL INCLUSION EVENT - TELMEX (MEXICO)
Mexican telecom giant Telmex found its way into the book thanks to a triple-record event held t o make the Internet more accessible to Mexico’s general public. In its second year partnering with Guinness World Records, Telmex’s “Aldea Digital” (Digital Village) broke its own 2013 record for the largest digital inclusion event, bringing 258,896 visitors to Mexico City’s famous Zócalo plaza. Telmex also broke the records for most people trained in IT in one month (177,517) and the most scans of an Augmented Reality app in 8 hours (49,237).
MOST PEOPLE MAKING HEART-SHAPED HAND GESTURES - FIXERS (UK)
To help make the dream of dying British teenager Stephen Sutton to set a world record come true, his friends with the Friends of Stephen Sutton charity teamed up with national charity Fixers. Before Stephen's untimely passing, they were able to break this record with 553 participants in a heartwarming story that went viral for all the right reasons. Stephen and his cause helped raise more than £3 million for cancer research.
LOUDEST CROWD ROAR - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (USA)
The defending NFL champions had quite a year, adding a Guinness World Records title for their fans to their Super Bowl win. In a back-and-forth battle with the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle emerged as owners of the loudest outdoor crowd at a sports event. The NCAA's Clemson Tigers also attempted this record in the last year, as did the NBA's Sacramento Kings with an indoor version. The attempts garnered national publicity and enhanced fan engagement for all.
LARGEST PHOTO BOOK - SAMSUNG (GERMANY)
The German division of Samsung wanted to promote its newly launched GALAXY S4 Zoom smartphone and took to social media to do it. After asking fans on Facebook to submit digital photos for inclusion in a giant picture book, Samsung put them all together in the final product, measuring 40.52 m² (436 ft² 15 in²) thanks to more than 28,000 photos on 16 gigantic pages.
LONGEST GROUP DRUM ROLL - CORPS OF DRUMS OF HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL MARINES BAND SERVICE (UK)
Few causes are as noble as raising money for wounded servicemen, and that's what the UK’s Ministry of Defence did as part of celebrations to mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines with this record. The drumming unit earned a visit from international movie stars Harrison Ford and Tom Hardy at the start of their attempt at the Tower of London, and proceeded to play their way into the record books with a time of 64 hr 27 min 59 sec.
LARGEST POSTER - TEAM AKSHAY (INDIA)
Lest any celebrity forget that their true power comes from the fans, a group like Team Aksay comes along to remind everyone the strength wielded by supporters. To prove their dedication and love for Bollywood acting superstar Akshay Kumar, his Team Akshay fan club constructed a movie poster of his upcoming release Boss, covering an area of 3,234.31 m² (34,814.19 ft²). This broke a record previously held by Sony and a poster they created for a Michael Jackson album release in 2010.
SHORTEST BRAKING DISTANCE BY A VEHICLE ON ICE - GOODYEAR DUNLOP (GERMANY)
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Accomplished by Goodyear Dunlop brand Fulda Reifen, this record took place in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, which is known for being a bit frigid. To help exhibit the traction ability of its tires, Fulda had a driver race up to the required 30 mph speed on the frozen Schwatka Lake before requiring just 48.132 m (157 ft 11 in) to come to a complete stop. In doing so, it threw the gauntlet down at previous record holder Mitsubishi's mark of 56.2 m (184 ft 4 in).
LARGEST PILLOW FIGHT - DADA LIFE (SWEDEN)
Much like a football stadium, frozen lake, or the Tower of London itself, any venue can host record-breaking, even a concert hall ready to "rage." That was the case with Swedish DJ duo Dada Life, who promoted their new single "Born to Rage" with a 3,818-person pillow fight at a Chicago concert. Known for incorporating pillow fights into their shows, the duo found the perfect way to marry record-breaking with their devoted fans.
It's all part of the great action that is the GWR 60th anniversary edition. After submitting a record idea of your own, make sure to relive some of the best from the last 60 years of record breaking.
The pages are open for the Guinness World Records 2016 book and you can find a place for your group just like the folks above! Make sure to contact the Guinness World Records client services team with your organization's details.
